Australian Women Lawyers (AWL) Limited was established on 9 September 1997, in Melbourne, Victoria.
Our History
Founding Patron
The founding patron of AWL was the Hon. Justice Mary Gaudron QC who was appointed to this position on 19 September 1997.
Her Honour was the first female appointed as a Justice to the High Court of Australia. Her Honour continued as patron until 20 February 2009.
Founding Principals
The principals behind the establishment of AWL are articulated in her Honour’s key note speech at the launch of AWL on 19 September 1999.
- to acknowlede that women lawyers are different and to assert their right to be different
- to demand that the legal profession take stock of itself and its practices which result in the under-representation of women in important positions of legal practice and in the judiciary
- to question assumptions in the law and in the administration of the law that work injustice against women
- to question the way in which legal practice is organised
- to draw attention to the way in which the law fails to protect women and fails to respect their equality and denies them equal justice
- to draw attention to and articulate areas of the law’s bias
These principals were reflected in AWL’s inaugrual Memorandum of Association that was executed on 9 September 1997 which stated:
- achieve justice and equality for all women;
- further understanding and support for the legal rights of all women;
- identify, highlight and eradicate discrimination against women inherent in the legal system and in the community generally;
- advance equality for women in the legal profession;
- create and enhance awareness of women’s contribution to the practice and development of law; and
- provide a professional and social network for women lawyers
Establishment Committee
Between April 1995 and September 1997 a committee of women consisting of representatives from across Australia established AWL. All of these women attended face to face meetings and telephone conferences at their own cost on behalf of their individual State and Territory Women Lawyer Associations.
The members of AWL’s Establishment Committee included:
- (Judge) Gillian Braddock SC (WA)
- Linda Crebbin (ACT)
- Candida D’Arcy (SA)
- Georgina Frost (Vic)
- Sally Gearin (NT)
- (Judge) Felicity Hampel SC (Vic)
- Margaret Hunter OAM (ACT)
- Kerrie Leotta (NSW)
- (Justice) Ruth McColl (NSW)
- Audrey Mills (Tas)
- Rhonda Penny (Qld)
- Alexandra Richards QC (Vic)
- (Magistrate) Kay Ryan (Qld)
- Merran Short (NT)
- Clare Thompson (WA)
- Deanne Weir (Vic)
- Kriss Will (Vic)
Further information about AWL’s Establishment Committee can be found here.
Timeline of Key Events
| 9 September 1997 | Articles of Memorandum signed |
| 9 September 1997 | Articles of Association signed |
| 19 September 1997 | The Hon. Mary Gaudron QC appointed patron of AWL |
| 19 September 1997 | Launch of AWL (Mayfair Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Hotel Melbourne Victoria) |
| 29-30 September 2006 | Inaugural national AWL Conference is held in Sydney |
| 12-14 June 2008 | Second biennial national AWL Conference is held in Melbourne |
| 21 February 2009 | The Hon. Diana Bryant AO QC appointed patron of AWL |
| 6-8 August 2010 | Third biennial national AWL Conference is held in Brisbane |
| 10 October 2011 | The constitution is amended to allow the Victorian Women Lawyers Association and the Women Barristers Association (both residing in Victoria) to be Directors of the Association at the same time (and hence be eligible for appointment as President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer at the same time) without diluting the equal voting rights of each State and Territory at Board meetings.
The constitution is amended to delete reference to provisions of the corporations legislation which no longer exist; allowing meetings to occur as stated in s 248D and s 249S of the Corporations Act 2001; in order to better reflect the current practice of the Board, expressly allowing resolutions to occur by e-mail and deleting the requirement for the Secretary to conduct and hold all correspondence. |
| 10-12 August 2012 | Fourth biennial national AWL Conference is held in Canberra |
| 17 August 2013 | 15th Anniversary Gala Dinner
Mayfair Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Hotel Melbourne Victoria |
| 4 October 2013 | Clause 5.1 of the constitution is amended to enable AWL to host an Annual General Meeting within 5 months of the end of the financial year instead of the current period of 3 months to bring the constitution in line with the provisions of the Corporations Act (Cth) 2001 (section 250N (2)) which allows a public company to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) within 5 months of the end of the financial year. |
| 3-5 October 2014 | Fifth biennial national AWL Conference is held in Adelaide |
| 5 October 2014 | Clauses 3.2(a) and 3.8(a) of the constitution are amended to enable the Australian Women Lawyers Association to clearly articulate the term that a President may hold office and to remove the limit on the number of two year terms that a Board member may sit. |
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8-10 April 2016 |